June 22, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Ta’Shia Phillips has been selected to represent the United States on the 2009 World University Games Team, which will compete for a gold medal from July 1-11 in Belgrade, Serbia.  29 student-athletes were invited to the original trials and Phillips is one of 12 players to qualify for the elite squad.

"I think that the committee has done a tremendous job of selecting this team," said USA and Arizona State University head coach Charli Turner Thorne. "We have everything that we need to bring home a gold medal. Our perimeter and our post game are exceptional. I don't think we have any kinks in our armor. Now it's just a matter of becoming a team - really working with each other and learning our offenses and our defenses in a very short amount of time. I could not be more excited about the individuals I'm going to coach and the opportunity in front of us."

Turner Thorne returns to the USA sideline after assisting the USA women to a gold medal at the 2007 FIBA U21 World Championship. She will be assisted by Suzy Merchant of Michigan State University and Julie Rousseau of Pepperdine University.

The U.S. squad will continue training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., through June 25, when the team departs for Belgrade, Serbia.

The team members were selected by the USA Basketball Women's Junior National Team Committee, chaired by Sue Donohoe, the NCAA Vice President for Division I Women's Basketball, following four days of training for 15 finalists June 18-21.